Day to Day Politics: Random thoughts on many things.
Monday 29 February 2016
1 Tony Abbott said he wore his 2014 Budget like a ‘Badge of Honor’. Veteran economics journalist Ross Gittens put it this way at the time:
’The first and biggest reason the government is having to modify or abandon so many of its measures is the budget’s blatant unfairness. In 40 years of budget-watching I’ve seen plenty of unfair budgets, but never one as bad as this’.
2 I do wish writers, even those on this blog would use the term ‘Abbott/Turnbull’ government.
3 And I do wish that writers would empathise the fact that the Abbott/Turnbull government has been in power for two and a half years.
4 Are the often outlandish statements from the likes of Cory Bernardi, George Christiansen and others about the Safe Schools programme just a forerunner of what we might expect in the plebiscite debate on marriage equality?
Some of what they are saying isn’t even in the programme.
This plebiscite might unearth, without quality leadership, some unwanted social disharmony.
Turnbull is only pursuing his expensive $160m plebiscite as a delaying tactic to satisfy the right of his party — extreme Liberals like Christensen. The fact is, if he were a strong leader, Turnbull would allow a free vote in the parliament on marriage equality next week.
5 I notice ‘The Fixer’ is saying that he is responsible for the defence policy announced last week.
6 Roy and The Fixer are helping police with their enquiries. Found this on Facebook. Can’t name the source.
‘My sources tell me the AFP is acting on a complaint made by the Federal Court that, at the least, Brough, in collusion with Ashby and Harmers Workplace Lawyers, set out to to subvert the court process.
How Harmers has gotten away with its patently false claims in the Originating Document beggars belief. They said they had a sworn, detailed affidavit of Slipper romping indecently with another male when they simply did not. It was total bullshit, but included the precise details of a lurid sick mind.’
7 How could George Pell possibly not have known about the child abuse happening all around him? Those who say there is some sort of vendetta against him are wrong. All they want is for him to tell the truth.
8 My reference to George Christianson and penis tucking yesterday seems to have gone over the heads of those who read my posts. George is indeed an obese man.
An observation.
It is the misinformed who shout the loudest. The rest of us are content with the truth we enquired about.
9 Thank goodness the latest series of ‘House of Cards’ commences Friday. Back to some reality at last.
10 To quote Paul Kelly: ‘Malcolm is starting to sound like Tony Abbott’.
11 There are some truly some excellent comments on my post yesterday. We are blessed to have some who make a virtue of responding.
12 Changes to Media Rules. This is how Fairfax puts it. Whatever the outcome Murdoch will be the big winner.
‘The reach rule currently prohibits television networks from broadcasting to more than 75 per cent of the population. The two out of three rule bans media proprietors from controlling a newspaper, television and radio station in the same market. Scrapping the two out of three rule is the more controversial change because of concerns about media diversity. Labor MPs are concerned about the change because it could allow a proprietor such as Rupert Murdoch to extend his control in major markets’.
13 Talking about Fairfax, if ever there was an illustration of how journalistic standards have slipped it has to be Paul Sheehan’s recent story ‘Louise’. It was just an unsubstantiated Islamophobia beat-up in an area in which he has substantial form. How he is still in a job is the bigger mystery.
14 John Howard says he shudders at the thought of Donald Trump becoming America’s next President:
‘In part, his success is emblematic of people’s frustration with political correctness. What people like is he seems to call it as it is’.
Does he mean that he agrees with the manner in which he conducts his public discourse?
15 The conservative objection to political correctness it seems to me is in large part sour grapes. I don’t see the right or the extreme right not having a voice or indeed the capacity to use it. What I hear is an incoherent voice that cannot get its point across.
16 Did you know that current wages growth at 2.2% is the lowest ever recorded?
17 Someone emailed this to me without leaving a name:
‘If the Catholic Church was a corporation, or a charity, it would be shut down and its assets sold off. All Catholics are now disenfranchised apologists for an organisation that has utterly betrayed their faith and the god they love. Pity the faithful. They don’t deserve the harm the men within the church have inflicted on them. A new reformation is needed. A revolution in thinking is required’.
18 The Prime Minister was out and about yesterday spruiking his scare campaign against Labor’s Negative Gearing policy. There was not a hint of the explaining he said he would do.
19 Sydney radio station 2GB is conducting a Poll on this question:
‘If you voted Liberal in the last election, who’s your preferred Prime Minister now?’ At 4pm yesterday the count was 96% for Abbott and 4% for Turnbull.
20 Donald Trump has the support of the KKK and Jean-Marie Le Pen. Only in America.
My thought for the day
‘There’s nothing like the certainty of a closed mind’.
12 comments
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stephentardrew
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John Kelly
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Michael Taylor
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Brendan Kelly
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Douglas Pye
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Terry2
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kerri
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David (other)
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David (other)
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michelebottroffmichele
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John Lord
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JeffJL
Return to home pageThanks John I look forward to your madness merry go round. Makes the mind turn to jelly.
“John Howard says he shudders at the thought of Donald Trump becoming America’s next President:”
Who is John Howard?
There was an article in Fairfax yesterday with a title of something similar to ‘Howard slams Shorten’. If you looked at the article – which I did – you would have seen that Howard spoke of many things, including his new found support of gay marriage.
But would they headline the article with ‘Howard supports gay marriage’? Of course not. It’s better to tell everybody something negative about Shorten.
Pity, that.
It is not only labor MPs who are wary of the extension of Murdoch’s reach. Any intelligent person can see the folly of public media being controlled by one person, even if they were not as evil, corrupt and dangerous as Rupert Murdoch.
I note with considerable concern the Abbott is back to dog-whistling and the media are happy to give him air. “I could have won the coming election” is writing off Malcolm’s chances of success and appealing to the 96% of Tory voters who still prefer Abbott as P.M. Disgusting and violent has-been.
John K ,the J.H. ‘blast’ in the Weekend Aus. is Political marketing writ large ….. trotting out the “Authority Figure” that has some ‘recognised’ status (old history appropriately distorted) and subliminally set up as ‘assurance’ … the situation is really in hand ‘cos I say so … and there! …..
Referring to ‘authority’ sources / figures , as a form of endorsement, is as old as the pyramids … e.g. …….. ” current research indicates ….. ” along with various adjectival additives. Then there’s astroturfing … e.g….The Institute of Public Affairs …etc. etc. .. other examples escape me at the moment ‘cos I’m a ‘bit’ Cross !!
This is a prime example of Marketing by Distortion and, in the hands of The Dodgy Brothers used car salespeople it becomes sullied in the extreme … & and that’s an under statement !!
Indeed John Kelly….. just WHO is John Howard ?? (really ?) …
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I’m prepared to wager that Turnbull – if he’s still there after the election – will scrap the marriage equality plebiscite based on the fact that it was an Abbott thought bubble and he really needs to stamp his own authority on this government. More to the point, it will cost the taxpayer $160 million which even in these times of faux austerity just cannot be justified.
Regarding the Catholics and their collateral damage, perhaps if Catholics had departed the church and continued their beliefs in the privacy of their own homes instead of delivering more and more children to the paedophile priests there would not be a need for this extraordinarily huge Royal Commission. I know if a child of mine complained about sexual abuse I would immediately remove them from whatever instituition was allowing it regardless of whether I believed them or not!
And as for John Howard? How dare he claim to support same sex marriage when it was he who made it illegal in the first place! Howard is less and less relevant and perhaps more and more senile?
Terry2 I wish I had your faith! Turnbull is governing with one hand tied behind his back.
John re the anon No 7….‘If the Catholic Church was a corporation, or a charity, it would be shut down and its assets sold off. All Catholics are now disenfranchised apologists for an organisation that has utterly betrayed their faith and the god they love. Pity the faithful. They don’t deserve the harm the men within the church have inflicted on them. A new reformation is needed. A revolution in thinking is required’.
I am really fed up with this blanket being thrown over the billions of Catholics world wide re the abuse by the Clergy. The great majority of us share the horror at the revelations of child abuse, are we supposed to be all in one gigantic pedophile ring? No of course not but the language being used, as in 7 implies just that.
It may come as a surprise, the total sum of knowledge of the actions by pedophiles is gained by what most read in the media or on the net or general conversation. Most people Catholics included, do not go searching for the sordid details and who the culprits are.
As a Catholic, a news and political tragic and a former participant in the broadcasting industry in 3 countries I have a knowledge of the subject and am as sickened as the next person by the revelations however I object to being cast as a ‘disenfranchised apologists for an organisation that has utterly betrayed their faith and the god they love’.
I note often with these generalisations directed at all Catholics, never any mention of other faiths, institutions and similar. I am not a perfect member of my Church, while disagreeing with some of its teachings, often debated long and hard with one of my local Priests over a few beers, I still retain the love of my faith and Catholicism and no abuse by some anonymous misguided nobody will ever change that.
@kerri…you show complete ignorance of the topic, what an absurd assertion that..’ if Catholics had departed the church and continued their beliefs in the privacy of their own homes instead of delivering more and more children to the pedophile priests there would not be a need for this extraordinarily huge Royal Commission’
Unbelievable!!
2012?
David. Last week I wrote about how people of the faith must feel very let down. When you write a post everyday like mine which is a continuous commentary the thread of what I say can sometimes be lost if you just read one now and then. In this case I was quoting someone else. It is however, an opinion widely held. And if you have an intimate experience of abuse the opinion can be very strong.
@John. No it did not go over our heads. We just refuse to picture it.
For the sake of humanity, please do not mention it again.